IN June of 2023, Tony and I visited Israel. We had never been together. I had visited as a teenager and Tony as an adult presenting at a computer science conference. We rented a studio apartment in the old city of Jerusalem. We marveled at the history, the culture, and in a sad way, the ever present conflict. Watching young boys taunt Israeli soldiers, just as young, with machine guns slung over their shoulder, was sobering.
We hired an American Jewish guide for the City of David. Her bible knowledge and connection to artifacts and ruins were deep. As she stood on the stone of the former palace, with her Bible open, reading of coinage or incidents, comparing them with archaeological discoveries, we hung on every word. We loved learning.
Walking beneath the temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD was soulful. I understood as never before our temples as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. Our worship, our practice, was part of a continuous devotion to God.
While in Jerusalem, we hired a second tour guide to take us to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. He was a Canadian Jew with a young family. He taught precepts that were mind expanding. As we swam in the sea, we watched him on the shore performing devotions to God.
Four months later, we were devastated by the attack. We thought of our tour guides who lost the ability to financially support their families. We contacted Avi, and helped out in a very small way.
We continue to help both people who stand as enemies. We hope and pray for Israel, for Palestinians and for all Arab nations absorbed by location and beliefs. When one side suffers, both sides suffer. As bystanders, we can't contribute to the conflict, in hate or taking sides. Instead we must view them as one. As humanity. Can we not be for both sides? They are not mutually exclusive, but the news, the politics, the bike riders would have us think they are.
Imagine how much more powerful and unifying it would have been if the Pennsylvanians had chosen to ride for peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. Instead, they chose to magnify the conflict in the City of Brotherly Love.
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